


Ned Leeds and the Best Field Trip Ever

by AriPotter



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Intern Peter Parker, Lots of Cliches, Ned Leed's Field Trip to Stark Industries, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Ned Leeds is so excited for this trip he can't contain himself, Peter Parker's Field Trip to Stark Industries, Pov ned leeds, because you wouldn't be reading this tag if you didn't like them, but that's okay, though I did try to make the tour set up itself more reaslistic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25393924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AriPotter/pseuds/AriPotter
Summary: Ned had never in his entire life (all seventeen years of it!) been this excited to enter a building.His whole body felt jittery, he couldn’t stop grinning, and the short, high-pitched squeal he let out as they stepped through the wide doors was an inevitable outburst of emotion. Ned’s eyes darted around, trying to take everything in as quickly as possible. His breaths came fast and short as he bounced on his toes, desperate not to miss a thing.After all, it’s not every day that he gets to tour Stark Industries.
Relationships: Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 120
Kudos: 511





	1. Ned Leeds and the SI Lobby

Ned had never in his entire life (all seventeen years of it!) been this excited to enter a building.

His whole body felt jittery, he couldn’t stop grinning, and the short, high-pitched squeal he let out as they stepped through the wide doors was an inevitable outburst of emotion. Ned’s eyes darted around, trying to take everything in as quickly as possible. His breaths came fast and short as he bounced on his toes, desperate not to miss a thing. 

After all, it’s not every day that he gets to tour Stark Industries. 

“Peter,” Ned directed his breathless words to his best friend, refusing to take his eyes off the tower lobby. “I think I’m going to pass out. Please don’t let me pass out in Stark Industries! It will be the lamest thing I’ve ever done, and then my life will be over, and then I’ll never get hired here, because when they see my application they’ll be like ‘Oh, isn’t that the kid who passed out before the tour even started?’ and they’ll know that I’m not cool enough to work here, (and I’m definitely not, but I at least thought I’d get the chance to try to fake it), and they’ll reject me, and then I’ll fall into a pit of despair, and probably become an alcoholic or something, and then accidentally hack into a secure government database (probably SHIELD) in a drunken stupor, and then get arrested and go to prison and die! Peter, if I pass out right now, I’m going to die in prison, and you can’t let that happen.”

He heard a muffled snort, and finally turned to look at his friend. Peter coughed into his elbow, trying to smother his laughter, but Ned could see his grin. Ned dropped heavily on his heels and glared at him. He thought he could depend on his best friend in his hour of need, but no!

Desperate for support, Ned turned his gaze to MJ, but MJ just smirked and shook her head. “Loser,” she muttered. But she did punch Peter to get him to stop laughing, so maybe she was at least a little on his side. (He never wanted to be on the side opposing MJ; she would obliterate him.)

Peter, after rubbing his shoulder and scowling at MJ, finally turned to calm his friend.

“Ned, you’ll be fine! We’ll find Mr. Harrington, the tour will start soon, and nobody will pass out.”

Ned’s glare didn’t waver. 

“And if you do, I promise to break you out of prison so you can die surrounded by friends and family instead.”

Ned’s excitement broke through his angry facade, and the friends shared a grin. Ned looked around again, still unable to believe that he was finally here! This had to be the coolest thing that had ever happened to him (except for being Spider-Man’s Guy In The Chair, but nothing could beat that, and this was a very close second).

Ned, Peter, and MJ were shuffled further into the lobby as the next busload of students rushed through the front doors. It was a good thing the lobby was so huge - their Junior class had over a hundred students, and every single one of them was here today. No way was anyone going to miss the field trip they’d been looking forward to since Freshman year.

It was a Midtown tradition, having a special field trip for each grade level. Freshmen go to Oscorp, Sophomores go to IBM, and Seniors go overseas, but Juniors always get Stark Industries. (Ned had marked this date on his calendar his very first day at Midtown, knowing it would be the best day of his high school career.) (That was before his scale of awesomeness had shifted with the revelation of his best friend’s superhero alter ego, but he still expected it to be in at least the top ten.)

The last students entered the building, and the teachers began to corral the chaos. They raised their voices to be heard over the echo of excited teenagers.

“Time to get into your groups! Find your group leader so we can get started! Einstein over here!”

“Curie group, meet over by the pillar!”

“Tesla, gather round!”

Ned stuck close to Peter and MJ as they joined the scramble to find their teacher. Faintly, he heard Mr. Harrington calling out from further into the lobby.

“Newton! I need the Newton group to join me here! Newton!”

They pushed through the masses and managed to make their way to Mr. Harrington unscathed, if a little rumpled. Several other members of their group had already gathered. Betty and Cindy were whispering excitedly together; Abe and Jason were looking at something on Seymour’s phone; and Flash stood with his hands in his pockets, peering around the room in a nonchalant manner.

Ned heard Peter let out a quiet, defeated sigh. He had really been hoping Flash would be in a different group. 

Ned knew that Flash had a problem, and that problem started with “P” and ended with “eter Parker.” The two had always had a bit of a (one-sided) rivalry. It’s not that Flash wasn’t smart (he was at Midtown after all, and part of the Academic Decathlon team); it’s just that Peter was smarter. He’d been taking it out on Peter for years; he never got physical, but the awful names and mocking were constant.

And then, of course, the bullying got worse after someone (Ned) accidentally told everyone the (super awesome, so cool, why would you ever want to keep that a secret) news that Peter had an internship at SI! Flash immediately declared this to be a lie. (Which it actually was, at the time, but Ned hadn’t known that.) Most people had dismissed Flash’s claims as jealousy - so he came back with some proof.

Flash had shown up at AcaDec practice one afternoon armed with a rejection letter. It turned out that, the previous summer, he had applied for the Stark Industries Young Inventors Program. He was very competitive in the initial application process and actually got an in-person interview at SI! The reason he hadn’t spread that around before was because he ultimately didn’t make the cut for the program (and instead spent his summer insulting people on the internet and having no friends) (or at least that’s what Ned suspected).

But Flash did have a letter with a fancy SI letterhead saying that, although he had not been accepted to the SIYI Program, they invited him to apply for an internship in the future. And, in an awful blow to Peter and Ned, it said right there, in black and white (And kind of gold? The ink was very shiny, and Ned wondered if Tony Stark’s company maybe used actual gold in all their communications.), that these positions were only open to students who had completed at least two years of undergraduate level studies.

So yeah, suddenly Flash was being believed, everyone thought Peter was a liar, and the bullying got quite a bit worse. (And Ned found out the internship wasn’t actually real, but since the truth was that his best friend was actually a SUPERHERO, he didn’t really mind.)

Mr. Harrington cleared his throat loudly, and Ned focused his attention on him.

“Okay, Newton group, if you can all huddle a little closer so I can check that everyone is here.” The students did as asked, and Mr. Harrington did a quick head count, glancing at the list in his hand. Nodding decisively, he spoke again. “All accounted for. Our tour guide should be here momentarily.” His tone turned pleading. “And before that, let me just say, please, _please_ , be on your best behavior today.” He made eye contact with each student (His eyes were full of dread; Ned felt bad for him.). “SI has come to expect Midtown students to be the cream of the crop, the best of the best. Please don’t ruin that. I know you can be model students today, and I will be very proud to be your teacher.” Ned appreciated the attempt at confidence, but Mr. Harrington’s defeated posture was a little demoralizing.

The teacher looked ready to continue, but before he could, a woman appeared by his shoulder. Ned assumed she was the tour guide. (This assumption was supported by the bold words reading TOUR GUIDE on the back of her blue SI polo.) After a quick, quiet conversation with Mr. Harrington, she raised her voice so the group could hear her.

“Hey Midtown!” She smiled. (Ned smiled back.) “If everyone in the Newton group could follow me, we’ll head somewhere a bit quieter to talk before we get started on your SI tour.”

Somehow, Ned had temporarily forgotten where he was and what was about to happen, but he perked up at her words. SI! He was really here! He shared eager grins with his classmates as they hurried after the guide. 

She led them across the lobby (the Stark Industries lobby! At SI Tower!) and into a side room. 

This room wasn’t nearly as exciting as the lobby. It was small and square with lockers lining the walls. 

As everyone entered the quiet room (Ned saw Peter relax fractionally - the noise outside must have been pretty overwhelming for his enhanced senses.), the tour guide began her introductions.

“Welcome to Stark Industries! We’re really excited to have you all here today! Midtown is always one of our best groups, so I know I can expect great things from you today.” She smiled. (Mr. Harrington looked at them all pleadingly.) “My name is Josie, and, as you might have guessed, I will be your tour guide today.”

Josie gestured toward the lockers and explained, “Here at SI, we take security very seriously. For this reason, there are certain procedures that every guest must adhere to. In just a moment, I’m going to ask each of you to pick a locker.” She opened the nearest one to expose its contents. “Each has a yellow high visibility vest, like this one, which you’ll need to put on.” She slipped the vest over her arms to demonstrate. “These vests are specially made for SI tour groups, and they have some pretty cool features. This breast pocket holds a pair of safety goggles for when we are in the labs.” She pulled them from the pocket, modeling how they were attached to the vest so they wouldn’t be lost. “There’s also a specialized compartment for your phone.” Josie pointed to a pocket on the lower right. “This pocket is lined with a material that prevents a signal from passing through. When we reach the portion of our tour where no phones are allowed, I will seal the pockets with my handy dandy device,” she waved what looked like a remote with a screen in the air, “and they will be inaccessible until phones are allowed again!”

Josie made shooing motions with her hands as she put the vest away. “Now go choose a locker! We allow you to bring your phones, because we have some pretty cool photo ops, but everything else should be stored away. You’ll each be passing through a metal detector, so make sure you empty your pockets as well. Once you do that, slide on your vest, tuck your phone away, and shut the locker door. I’ll use my handy dandy device to lock them up before we leave, so your belongings will be safe. Come back over here when you’re done!”

The students scattered, beelining towards the nearest locker. Ned chose one to his left, next to MJ, and Peter crouched down to access the one below it.

“This is so awesome!” Ned exclaimed, and Peter hummed in agreement. “Did you help design the material for the phone thingies? I really want to know how that works!”

“No,” said Peter. “I didn’t even know we had those here; employees don’t have to seal up their phones. I can ask Mr. Stark though, if you want? He could probably tell me about it.”

Before Ned could answer (“Yes yes yes please thank you”), there was a scoff from a few lockers down. Flash sneered at them as he tugged on his vest. “Why would Parker know, Leeds? I’ve already proven he doesn’t have an internship here, so there’s no way he would have that kind of information.” Flash raised his eyebrows. “And now he’s going to ask Tony Stark for you? Ha, yeah, that’s definitely believable.” He shut his locker door with a bang and sauntered back toward Josie.

Ned took in Peter’s tense shoulders and clenched fists. Some defusing was definitely needed. “Come on, man.” Ned nudged him gently. “Ignore him, he’s an idiot.”

MJ closed her locker and turned with a slight frown. “I’m actually a bit disappointed by this set up,” she said. “I wanted to bring my sketch pad with me. I was really looking forward to drawing Eugene’s face when he discovered that your internship was real.” Peter relaxed, and actually looked a little happy at that prospect.

Because the internship was real, after all. Not at first. Back at the beginning, it was just a cover for Spider-Man (Ned’s best friend is SPIDER-MAN!!!), but that changed a while ago. Ned had prodded and questioned Peter until he gave up the details about how the status change had happened. 

It started when Peter got hurt on patrol. (Ned tried not to think about that part of superheroing.) It wasn’t anything major, but that was pure luck. Running out of web fluid mid-swing? That could have been disastrous. Ned shuddered to think what might have happened if Peter had been fifty stories up, as opposed to only five. He landed hard and broke his ankle, but was otherwise fine.

Karen (an AI! His friend has his own personal AI, who is actually really sweet and will answer as many questions as Ned wants anytime he tries on the mask.) sent an alert to Mr. Stark, because Peter was two miles from home with no web fluid to swing anywhere. It was either call for help or walk on a broken ankle, and she wasn’t accepting the latter option. So despite Peter’s protests (Ned’s friend may be smart, but he’s also an idiot.), Mr. Stark was contacted and pulled up a few minutes later in a black car.

As Mr. Stark (Tony Stark! Iron Man! With Ned’s best friend!) had Peter’s ankle looked over and drove him home, he asked what happened. Peter tried to avoid the subject (He didn’t say that when he was telling the story to Ned, but Ned knew Peter.), but eventually gave in and explained. See, Mr. Stark made the suit, but Peter still made his own web fluid, every day in Mr. Cobbwell’s third period chemistry lab. But that week, it hadn’t worked out so well. There was no school that Monday. Tuesday had a written exam and Wednesday a lab practical; the teachers watched way too closely during those for Peter to secretly mix any chemicals. Thursday they did a joint experiment with the biology class, and so they never even went into the chem lab. And then it was Thursday night, Peter hadn’t made any new web fluid, and he ran out in midair as he swung through the city.

After that, Mr. Stark gave Peter access to his lab to make the web fluid any time he needed. (His lab in his penthouse apartment, that is. Not at Stark Tower. Once Mr. Stark sold the tower to Stark Industries, it wasn’t his personal property anymore, and he no longer had several floors to himself. Instead, he had a small private lab at SI tower, just like the other lead scientists. He mainly worked at his large lab at the Avenger’s Compound or at his personal one he built for himself in his penthouse in the city.)

The rest of the details were hard to drag from Peter, because he hated bragging about himself, but Ned got the gist of it. One day Mr. Stark was talking aloud through a problem one of the SI labs was trying to solve, and Peter, who was there making more web fluid, offered a solution. And it worked! Mr. Stark introduced him to the scientists in charge of that project, and one thing led to another, and suddenly Peter had an actual internship at SI, helping work on this project twice a week! It was awesome, and Ned was still in awe of his best friend, and Peter still wouldn’t spill the details on what exactly the project was, but Ned was working on that.

So anyway, yeah, Ned’s point: Screw you Flash, Peter’s internship is totally real.

The friends rejoined the group around Josie, where everyone was laughing at how ridiculous they all looked in the neon yellow vests. (It wasn’t as bad as their AcaDec jackets, but it was close.)

Josie raised her hand to get their attention, and they quieted quickly. “So there’s one more thing we need to do before we head toward security. All SI employees wear a personalized badge.” She held hers up for them to see. Ned glanced at Peter, noticing the lanyard around his neck, tucked under his shirt. “There are different levels that allow different amounts of accessibility around the tower. However, I’m not going to go into those details with you. SI has decided that sharing the minutiae of how our security system works to the public definitely constitutes a security risk. All you need to know is that your vests are connected to my badge. Each vest has a chip in it that monitors its location at all times. I can see those here,” Josie holds up the remote, “on my handy dandy device. If you stray too far from the group, or try to enter a room that I haven’t used my badge to make accessible to you, I will be notified here. Each vest has a number, and I’ll input your name with it now. That way, in case of emergencies or mischief, I’ll be able to keep track of everyone.” She smiled at them all, seeing they looked a little overwhelmed. “It’s really nothing to worry about! It’s just a safety precaution, and I know you all weren’t planning on sneaking away or breaking the rules, so we shouldn’t have any issues.” (Mr. Harrington looked like he’d swallowed a bug.)

The teens and Mr. Harrington shuffled into a line, and soon it was Ned’s turn.

“Ned Leeds!” he squeaked before Josie could even ask his name. “And can I just say that this is the coolest thing ever, and I am so excited to be here, and also is that really called a ‘handy dandy device’ because that seems like quite a mouthful to use every time, and -” He cut himself off, and Josie chuckled kindly. As she pulled up his name from the list and marked his vest number, she answered, “I’m glad you’re so excited! We love that enthusiasm here at SI. And that is the actual name, unfortunately.” She whispered to Ned, like it was a secret, “SI has amazing inventors and scientists, but their naming skills are a little lacking.” She smiled, and Ned smiled eagerly back, thanking her as he stepped out of the way for the next person.

“Peter Parker,” Peter calmly introduced himself to Josie. She scrolled through the list and clicked his name, then paused, looking up with a furrow between her eyebrows. 

“Peter?” she questioned, “It says here that you’re an employee. Is that right?”

“Intern,” Peter corrected hastily. “I work with Dr. Roberts in lab 63B.”

Josie raised her eyebrows slightly, but nodded. “Very impressive,” she said. “I didn’t know we hired high school students.” Peter shrugged bashfully. “Well then, things will work a little differently for you. Do you have your badge on you?” Peter nodded. “Okay then. You’ll still need to wear the vest, so the group is easy to identify, but your chip will be deactivated and your phone pocket won’t seal. Make sure to scan your badge at security.” She smiled at him. “You are still required to stay with the tour group, so please don’t wander off. If you have anything about your internship that you’d like to volunteer during the tour, don’t hesitate to speak up!”

“I won’t,” Peter said as he moved away. (He implied that he wouldn’t hesitate, but Ned knew it was more likely that he wouldn’t speak up.) (But not to worry, Ned would do it for him. He’s a good friend like that.)

Ned nudged Peter until he smiled. Ned started bouncing on his toes again. The locker room had been an oasis of calm, but now the excitement was building again as they got closer and closer to beginning the tour. Ned bounced a little faster with each person that was checked in, and by the time Josie reached Mr. Harrington at the end, he was trembling with eagerness.

Josie input Mr. Harrington’s vest number, then clapped her hands. “Okay everyone! Who’s ready to get started?”

The class cheered. (Ned cheered loudest.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> If you wouldn't mind taking a minute to leave some feedback, I'd really appreciate it! Constructive criticism is welcome, but please be kind. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and I hope to see you again when the next one is posted!
> 
> Ariel


	2. Ned Leeds and the Day Peter Finally Snapped

There was a surprisingly short line at security. Given the amount of people that worked in the tower (which one day would include him, if he had anything to say about it) (and as long as he didn’t pass out and die in prison), Ned had expected the wait to be much longer. 

Josie turned toward the class. “Employees are not required to go through metal detectors, so they tend to use the other entrances. This one is mainly for tours and guests. Luckily for you, that means this can be done very quickly! Just give your vest with your phone to the guard, tell them your name, walk through the metal detector, then pick up your vest and put it back on. Simple!”

After Mr. Harrington, Flash was the first of their group to pass through. (He had somehow made it to the front. Ned was sure it had absolutely nothing to do with his glaring classmates rubbing their sides and the fact that Flash had very pointy elbows.) Flash arrogantly announced himself to the guard, who regarded him indifferently. She ran a device (Not a handy dandy one; Ned wondered if this one had a ridiculous name as well.) over his vest, checked something off on the tablet in front of her, then sent him through the metal detector. (Ned really hoped the alarm would go off, but alas, it seemed that Flash had followed instructions for once.) His vest was returned to him on the other side.

Ned double checked his pockets to make sure he was ready to go through. It was almost his turn! Ned Leeds was less than 20 steps away from the inner sanctum of Stark Industries! (The other side of security looked almost identical to where he was now, but Ned was sure he’d be able to feel the change in the air when he finally crossed over.).

Ned definitely did not let out a slight squeak when he reached the front of the queue (don’t believe anything MJ says). He meticulously followed Josie’s instructions, only stumbled over his name once, and rushed through the detector to finally arrive in The Actual Stark Industries Hallway (Where The Actual Tony Stark Slash Iron Man Had Probably Walked At Some Point). (Ned was right, it definitely felt different. He could sense the genius saturating the air!)

Mr. Harrington and the others had gathered a bit down the hallway, but Ned stepped to the side to wait for Peter before joining them.

Peter approached the security guard with his vest in one hand and badge in the other. The guard didn’t even look up from the tablet as she grabbed his vest and scanned it. 

Ned remembered that Josie had said Peter’s chip wouldn’t be activated, which he supposed explained why the guard then looked up sharply, focusing on the teen shifting awkwardly in front of her.

“This vest is not registered with any of today’s tour groups.” Ned could hear the suspicion in her voice as she peered at Peter.

“Um,” Peter answered the unasked question. “I work here? I’m an intern, but my school is here on a field trip.” Ned could tell he was nervous, because once he started talking, his words tumbled out with increasing speed. (He and his best friend were similar in many ways.) “And I know it’s weird, I mean, who would want to go on a tour of the place they work? I’m already here at least twice a week, so there’s really no point at all, but my entire class was going, and I didn’t want to be the only one who didn’t go, that would be super lame, and so now I’m here, and Ms. Josie said my vest wouldn’t work and that I should just give you my badge instead-” Peter stopped. “Oh. Right.” He sheepishly held out his badge to the guard.

The guard looked between the teen’s abashed face and the badge in his hand, and suddenly her stern face broke into a smile.

“Breathe, kid,” she said, taking the badge. She swiped it through a slot on the wall and Peter’s face appeared on the screen next to it. “Just start with that next time.” She returned his vest and badge to him, then waved him forward.

As Peter shrugged his vest on, she added, “Just go around the metal detector, no need to go through it. Your vest would just set it off anyway.” She turned away to watch the approach of the next student, stone faced once again.

Peter nodded and stuttered out a thank you, slipping around the metal detector to join Ned on the other side.

He looked up into his best friend’s face. Ned was trying really hard not to laugh. “Oh, shut up,” Peter muttered, nudging Ned (but Ned could see his own smile starting to creep through). Ned guffawed, unable to hold back any longer.

“Your face!” he gasped out, pointing. “Just, your face, when you…” The rest of his words were unintelligible; his laughter had taken over.

Peter shook his head at his friend, exasperated, but he was smiling too. Ned loved that Peter was always willing to laugh at himself when he did something ridiculous. (And Peter did ridiculous things a lot.) (Like so so often.) (Ned had several of them on video and was willing to part with them for the right price.)

The two friends made their way towards their classmates, Ned eager to relive the story for MJ, but they were halted after only a few steps.

Another security guard had appeared suddenly in front of them. Ned looked up (and up and up - this guy had to be like seven feet tall!) to his face and gulped reflexively. Last time someone had looked at him this harshly, he had ended up grounded for two months. 

“Stop right there,” the man ordered gruffly. (They had already stopped, but Ned wasn’t about to argue with a giant.) 

Peter and Ned exchanged anxious glances. “Um, is there a problem, sir?” (Peter’s voice cracked, but Ned hadn’t managed to speak at all, so he didn’t judge.)

The man focused his fierce gaze on Peter. “You,” he growled out, “Do you have a recording device? Trying to sneak away with some valuable information? You thought you’d make a quick buck, sell SI research to a competitor, I’m sure.” Ned looked at Peter, who appeared just as confused as he felt.

Peter opened his mouth to respond, but the guard steam rolled on. “I have an eyewitness that says they saw you sneak around the metal detector. Did you really think you could get away with it?”

Peter’s face relaxed, and Ned chuckled in relief. (Then immediately wished he hadn’t, because now the deadly glare was directed at him.) “Think corporate espionage is funny, do you? Stark Industries can and will press charges and pursue legal action. Even against two teenagers.” He looked both of them in the eye. “This is not a joke.”

Peter must have learned from his previous mistake, because instead of attempting to stutter out an explanation, he immediately held out his employee badge. The guard snatched it from his hand, glanced at it scathingly (Ned mused that maybe the guard had thought they were handing over the alleged recording device), then did a double take. He stared intently at the plastic rectangle for several long seconds as the boys stood silently.

Ned jumped slightly when the man suddenly whipped his head around, looking down the hall. Ned followed his gaze and was unsurprised to see it land on Flash Thompson. Flash was watching them, a smarmy, smug smirk on his face. He said something Ned couldn’t hear to the people around him, whom he had likely gathered as an audience to the spectacle.

The guard turned back to them, and Ned’s eyes snapped back to his face. He still looked stern, but Ned was no longer fearing his imminent death. 

“There seems to have been a misunderstanding,” the man explained, his voice strained and his stance professional “I did not know that you worked here.” He handed the badge back to Peter, who quickly replaced it around his neck and tucked it into his shirt. “I apologize for the interruption.” Ned thought he could read a hint of embarrassment in the guard’s face. “As a fellow employee at Stark Industries, I hope you understand. When someone claims to have seen a ‘known liar and money-seeker’ evade our security measures, the threat must be taken seriously.”

Anger boiled in Ned’s stomach. He knew Flash was a jerk, but trying to get Peter arrested? That was going too far! 

“I understand,” Peter intoned. The lack of emotion in his voice caused Ned to look over sharply. Peter’s face was suspiciously blank, which was never a good sign. A bubble of satisfaction rose above Ned’s anger. (Peter was going to rip Flash to shreds, and Ned was 100% here for it.)

Peter walked around the guard, and Ned quickly followed him to their group. Almost all of their classmates were staring at them. (Ned saw Mr. Harrington engaged in a conversation with MJ, who was watching the confrontation out of the corner of her eye.)

“Here to say your goodbyes, Parker?” Flashed drawled. He looked more satisfied than Ned had ever seen him. (Ned thought a black eye would suit his face much better.) “Any last words, before they take you away for so obviously trying to sneak your way through security?”

“No.” Peter smiled. (Ned shivered.) “Just waiting for Ms. Josie so we can get this tour started.”

Flash’s smirk dropped faster than a mugger fighting Spider-Man. “But, I saw you!” Flash exclaimed. “You went right around security! You didn’t go through the metal detector!”

Peter shrugged casually. “Well, here I am. No problem with the guards at all.” He turned toward Ned, ignoring Flash completely. “Do you want to come over this weekend? I thought we could combine a few different Lego sets and try to make a model of SI tower.” (Ned knew that Peter was just trying to get under Flash’s skin, but that was actually an awesome idea. Ned couldn’t believe they hadn’t thought to do it before.) 

Flash was enraged. “But I saw you!” he said harshly. (Ned saw spittle spew out.) “I saw you sneak past security! There’s no way you could just get away with that! They wouldn’t just let you go like this!” He narrowed his eyes. “What did you do? How do you always get away with everything?” He practically screeched the last word.

“It’s the puppy dog eyes,” MJ said. Ned hadn’t even noticed her approach. “One look at that pathetic face, and no one can resist him.” (Ned made note of this confession for later use.) She smirked. “Face it, Eugene, you’re out of your league.”

Flash growled and stormed off. 

There was a moment of awkward silence, their classmates shifting uncomfortably. (Peter’s cheeks were still pink from MJ’s comment, Ned noticed with amusement.) Then Cindy asked Peter, “Soooo, what actually happened? You didn’t really sneak around security, did you?”

MJ looked at her scathingly, but Peter’s voice was smooth when he answered, “I didn’t need to. I’m an intern here.” 

Ned saw a few of the onlookers roll their eyes, and someone (he couldn’t tell who) murmured, “Oh, not this again.”

Ned defended his best friend. “He really does have an internship! Just because you all don’t believe it doesn’t mean it isn’t true.” Ned rarely got to brag about Peter (who was annoyingly humble and just wanted to stay under the radar), and he was fully prepared to launch into telling them exactly what happened (this version would have painted Peter in a much better light than the one he was planning on relating to MJ), but Josie’s voice interrupted them.

“If everyone in my group can gather over here, I’ll briefly go over the rules and the plan for today before we head to our first stop,” she called. “Each section from your school is doing things slightly differently, so that we don’t overcrowd any labs. Our first stop is going to be the museum.” She continued, reading from her device, but Ned had stopped listening. 

Ned, Peter, and MJ hovered at the back of the group, and Ned whispered quietly. (Or at least he was trying to be quiet. MJ had told him many times that he was a really loud whisperer.) “You okay? I can’t believe Flash did that! Why didn’t you say anything to him? Or just show him your badge! Are you really going to let him get away with this?” (If Peter had decided not to rip Flash a new one after all, Ned was going to do it himself.) ( Maybe he’d let MJ help.) (Oh, who was he kidding. MJ would totally be the one taking Flash down, while Ned stood in the background cheering her on as she stomped the bully into the ground.) (Ned was absolutely okay with that.)

“Of course he’s not,” MJ scoffed. “He’s just biding his time. They’ll find out the truth soon enough.”

Peter blushed again, just slightly, touched by MJ’s support. (Ned was gathering so much ammunition against these two today, it was fantastic.) “She’s right,” he said. “Flash has solidly convinced everyone that I’m lying; he has a lot riding on this. Why just show him a badge, end it the easy way, when I can wait to make this so much worse for him?” He clenched his fist. “I’m done with this. I’m done with him! I’m not going to just roll over anymore.” Ned had never seen this look on Peter’s face before. “I’ll let Flash waste his tour trying to prove me wrong, digging himself into a deeper and deeper hole. And then, when the moment is right, I’ll show everyone the truth. And we can watch as the dirt buries him.”

Ned had never appreciated just how evil his friend could be. (It was awesome.)

“Impressive,” MJ approved. “I knew you were going to prove him wrong today, but I didn’t realize you had that in you.” She smiled. “Nice job, loser.” Peter’s cheeks darkened again (Ned gleefully added another tally to his mental count). “What finally pushed you over the edge?”

Ned delightedly related the events of the past quarter hour to MJ. (Peter probably would have preferred that he not emphasize his moment of stupidity with the badge, but Ned couldn’t let MJ down like that.)

Ned might have gotten a little too enthusiastic when describing the face off with Flash (you couldn’t truly tell a story without dynamic arm movements) and a low voice interrupted him. “Ned, Michelle,” Mr. Harrington scolded. They looked up to find that the teacher had circled the group to join them in the back. “Josie is sharing important information, and you are being disrespectful. She deserves your undivided attention.” 

Ned mumbled an apology, and turned back to hear what Josie was saying. (He hadn’t meant to be rude! He had actually wanted to hear about the plan for the day, he’d just gotten a little distracted.) (But since Ned had gotten to both talk up his best friend AND embarrass him in front of his crush, he still considered it a win.)

“And please keep in mind that Stark Industries is, first and foremost, a business. Respect the workers and their workspace. Do not disturb them if they seem busy, and try your best to stay out of their way.” Josie smiled. “There are many brilliant individuals at work in this building, but sometimes they get too caught up in their heads and forget to look where their feet are going. They’ll mow you over without even realizing it, so keep an eye out.” She looked over the group. “And remember, don’t hesitate to ask me any questions throughout the day. I know you’re very curious, and that’s why I’m here, after all! But if there’s nothing else right now, we can get started!”

Ned had done his GITC/BFF duty and checked in with Peter, so he pushed the Flash issue from his mind (for now) as excitement thrummed through him. No way was one idiotic jerkface going to distract him from one of the best days of his life. Ned’s enthusiasm built as they walked down the hall and up a flight of stairs. They paused outside a set of double doors for Josie to swipe her badge through a scanner, and the doors opened with a whoosh. (Ned knew he’d remember that whoosh for the rest of his life.) 

“Welcome,” Josie announced grandly, “to the Hall of History!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> And thank you so so much for the love you all have shown over the past four days! I really didn't expect such an incredible response to my first ever fic. This chapter is dedicated to everyone who has subscribed, bookmarked, or left Kudos. My life is truly brighter because of you!
> 
> If you have the time to comment, I would love to hear from you! Constructive criticism is always welcome, but please be kind. I'll start working on chapter three right away!
> 
> Thanks again, from the bottom of my heart.
> 
> Ariel


	3. Ned Leeds and the Real Actual Holograms

“I am Iron Man,” declared Tony Stark, looking directly at Ned.

“Cool,” Ned breathed, staring back.

Peter laughed and MJ mimed another tally mark in the air. “And that makes twelve,” she announced to Peter. “You’d think a nerd like Ned would have a more diverse vocabulary.” 

“Can you blame him?” Peter gestured towards the path they had taken through the Hall of History. “You have to admit, this is pretty cool.” 

“You two losers wouldn’t know cool if it walked up and punched you in the face” MJ retorted. (Ned knew it was said with love.) Peter raised an eyebrow. She held out for a few more seconds before relenting. “Okay, yes, this is fun.” Peter raised his arms in triumph, and Ned rewarded him with a double high-five. 

Ned had seen a hologram once, or at least a video of one, when Peter had shown him some of his footage from Mr. Stark’s lab. Seeing one in person was at least a thousand times cooler. 

As the three dimensional scene in front of them started over, Ned peered at the other projections around the hall. His classmates were scattered among them, watching holographic clips of pivotal moments in SI history. 

When they had first entered the Hall of History, Ned had stumbled in the doorway. Peter caught him by the arm just before he ran into someone (because his friend was SPIDER-MAN and had SUPER REFLEXES). He had looked up to apologize, and found himself face to face with Howard Stark (at which point he tripped over his own feet in surprise and once again had to be saved by his superhero best friend) (still so cool). And that was Ned’s first real life encounter with a hologram.

The hallway was arranged chronologically, so after watching the inauguration of Stark Industries, they had moved forward through time. Josie had released the students to go at their own pace, and the tour guide had moved to wait for them at the exit. She had strolled easily down the length of the hall, leaving Ned shocked. He couldn’t imagine being so used to working around holograms (HOLOGRAMS!!!) that being surrounded by them didn’t even earn a second look. (But how cool would it be if Future Ned actually did get to use holograms all the time! If he was able to land a job at Stark Industries, it was a definite possibility.) (For one confusing moment, Current Ned was very jealous of Future Ned.)

“Let’s keep going,” MJ said, as Tony Stark once again revealed Iron Man’s secret identity. “We’re only a couple of years away from Pepper Potts smashing through the glass ceiling, and I need to experience that perfection.” She grabbed each boy by the arm and dragged them down the hallway. (Well, Ned was dragged. Peter let himself be pulled along.)

They eventually made it to the end of the hall, joining their class as they hovered around the displays for the most recent SI developments. (Ned wondered what they would do when the next Big Event™ happened, since the entire length of the hallway was full. Would they have to build a new one? Knock out a wall? The world may never know.) (Okay, the world would probably know eventually, but it was easy to feel dramatic when surrounded by futuristic technology.) They watched the last hologram as they waited for the stragglers. It was repeatedly describing the transfer in ownership of the tower from Tony Stark to Stark Industries, projecting various images of the process along the way. (Ned nudged Peter conspiratorially every time the burning plane was shown, until Peter hissed at him to stop.) (MJ eyed them curiously, and Ned tried to look like he definitely wasn’t the Guy In The Chair for his superpowered best friend. What a ridiculous thought.) (Except it is absolutely true, and Ned is the best Guy In The Chair to ever have chaired.)

Once the last of their group arrived, Josie led them through another set of double doors into a circular room. There were comfortable looking couches in the center, and Ned spotted a sign for the bathrooms off to the side.

“Did you enjoy the Hall of History?” Josie asked, and the group responded with hoots and hollers of assent. “Well it just gets better from here!” (How!?!? Ned wasn’t sure that was possible.) (There had been HOLOGRAMS! How could it ever get better than that?)

“But before we move on, we’ll take a ten minute break here. Bathrooms are to the right, water fountains to the left, and you can help yourself to any of the snacks on the table. I’ll be sitting in the waiting area, and you’re welcome to join me if you have any questions.” She shooed them away with a smile. 

The students scattered. MJ slipped away, and Ned and Peter headed toward the snack table. (Peter’s metabolism meant he was almost always hungry.) (Because he had a super metabolism.) (Because he was Spider-Man.) (Ned’s best friend was Spider-Man.) (!!!!!!!!!)

Peter grabbed a couple granola bars, and Ned snagged a banana. Satisfied, they walked toward the couches, Ned gushing about his favorite parts of the tour so far. (Yes, Ned knew Peter had been there the whole time, and they’d really only done one thing, but Peter was a good friend and also Ned’s platonic soulmate, so he nodded along eagerly as Ned rambled, interjecting between bites.)

They sank into the cushions, and Ned stopped talking long enough to eat his snack. In that moment of silence, they heard Flash’s voice from an adjacent couch. 

“-curious about the internship program. I am strongly considering applying, so I was hoping you could go over the applicant requirements for me.” Flash sounded (deviously) innocent as he spoke to Josie. (Ned had frozen with the banana halfway to his mouth, and Peter’s eyes hardened.)

The boys turned to watch the conversation play out. (Ned kept one eye on Peter.) Josie answered easily. “Sure! I’m happy to hear about your interest in the program, but unfortunately, it’ll be awhile before you can apply. SI internships are extremely challenging and competitive, so you need to have a couple years of college under your belt first.” She smiled consolingly at Flash. “But as to other requirements, your major GPA needs to be at least three point-”

Flash interrupted her, a disappointed look on his face. (Definitely fake. Ned could see the glee hidden behind the exaggerated pout.) “Two years! That’s such a long time to wait. Are you sure that’s an absolute requirement?” Flash cajoled. “They wouldn’t, say, make an exception and hire a high school student during sophomore year and keep them on for several semesters?” By this point, several classmates were listening in, their eyes flicking between Flash, Peter, and the tour guide.

If Josie felt the tension in the room, she didn’t acknowledge it. “Well, the length of the internship varies, so it is possible that a position will last longer than a year.” She answered confidently. “But no, I’m sorry. The policies on undergraduate requirements are strictly enforced, and there are most likely legal barriers to accepting someone under eighteen…” Peter tensed beside him as Josie trailed off with a thoughtful look on her face. She scanned the students as she continued. “However, I’ve been surprised before.” Her eyes found Peter, and she smiled at him. “You should ask your classmate-” Peter shook his head sharply, and Josie’s didn’t falter as she changed what she was going to say. (Ned was impressed.) “-s if they know anyone who has participated in our program before.” She faced Flash again, no hint of confusion or surprise evident in her pleasant expression. “You will also have an opportunity to speak with an intern during one of our lab visits today.” She smiled at the surrounding students. “Does anyone else have a question?”

Betty did, and Josie walked over to her to answer, but Ned was more focused on the drama playing out in front of him. Flash looked triumphant, smugness oozing out of him as he turned to face Peter. “So…” he drawled. “What were you saying about your ‘internship,’ Penis?” (Ned decided that Flash lost at least ten intimidation points for using actual air quotes.)

The class waited with bated breath for Peter’s response. Even if they liked Peter, seeing him get taken down by Flash was captivating. Everyone knew (incorrectly) that Peter was lying (nope) after all (wrong). Disarmingly, Peter relaxed into the cushions, “Sorry Flash, I guess you’ll just have to wait a few years.” He shrugged casually. “Looks like I’m the only exception.” (Yeees, Ned was HERE for this drama, and he relished the aggravation of his classmate.)

Flash’s eyes flashed, but his expression barely dropped before he regained his smirk. He peered at the surrounding students in mock offense. “Did you hear that? Poor old Penis Parker thinks he’s better than all of us.” His eyes narrowed, focusing back on Peter “He must also think that we’re complete idiots if he still expects us to believe his lie.” A few people shifted slightly, frowning.

MJ (when had she gotten here?) stepped forward. She opened her mouth (probably to deliver a devastating insult to Flash; Ned made a note to ask her about it later.), but Peter spoke before she could interject.

“You seem so sure that I’m lying,” Peter said. He was actually smiling slightly now, and Ned tingled (was this the real Peter tingle?) in anticipation. “Wanna put your money where your mouth is?”

The challenge was definitely unexpected; Ned could tell by the wave of murmurs that passed through the observers. (Ned was so so proud of his friend.)

Flash froze with his mouth hanging open (so proud). MJ snickered, and the bully shook off his stupor. “Are you serious?” His voice broke, and he cleared his throat hastily. “You actually want to bet on this? An actual bet?” Apparently the idea appealed to him, because a smile was growing on his face. 

Peter raised his eyebrows and nodded. “No reason not to. I know the truth.” 

Flash actually laughed. “Okay then, Parker, you’re on!” He asked his next question over the excited mutters of his classmates. “What’s the wager? I’m assuming it’s not money, considering…” As he trailed off pointedly, it wasn’t difficult to infer his meaning. Peter didn’t flinch. (But Ned could feel Peter’s fist clench where it was buried in the cushions between them.)

Peter hummed in thought, glancing around at the captive audience. (Ned was 90% sure this was for dramatic effect; no way his friend went into this without a plan in mind.) (Ned took a moment to reflect over the past year.) (Then he adjusted his surety level to 60%.) Peter’s eyes stopped on Betty, and he nodded at her as he proposed his idea.

“How about this? If I can’t satisfactorily prove that my internship is real, I’ll go on the morning announcements and admit that I lied to the entire school.” Flash looked absolutely gleeful. Peter continued, “If I can prove it, if I can convince the majority of this group of the truth,” he emphasized ‘truth’ as he narrowed his eyes at Flash. “Then you will go on the announcements and tell everyone that you were wrong. You’ll admit to the whole school that I actually have a Stark Industries internship.” (Ned loved the devious side of his friend so much. He didn’t get to see it nearly often enough.) (Only one thing could make this better.)

Ned piped up, “Also, you have to give each of us a hundred bucks.” Peter looked at him questioningly, and Ned defended his addition. “He’s insulted you and called you a liar for two years. You deserve restitution. And as your best friend, I should get something out of it as well.” (Plus, using Flash’s money to buy a new Lego set would be a sweet, sweet victory.) Peter tilted his head in thought, then shrugged in agreement.

“Fair enough,” Peter said. He turned to Flash and extended his hand. “Do we have a deal?”

Flash’s eyes were shining with triumph. Ned knew he was already picturing Peter’s confession and humiliation. “Deal!” Shaking hands, the two rivals sealed the agreement. 

The whole group was still buzzing about Peter and Flash (Ned definitely saw a few more handshakes and wondered what other bets had piggybacked on the first one.) as their break came to an end. Josie clapped her hands, drawing their attention.

“Next stop for the Newton group is the museum!” Josie announced. “Mr. Harrington, if you could do a headcount and make sure we haven’t lost anyone, then we can make our way there.” 

Mr. Harrington had to send Cindy to fetch Caroline from the bathroom, but soon enough, Josie had confirmed the count on her handy dandy device, and they headed for the museum. 

Josie walked backwards as she led the group, making it easier to hear her over their echoing footsteps. “In the Hall of History, you were shown many of the key events that led Stark Industries to becoming what it is today. SI has been a leader in innovation and technology for decades and employs some of the world’s most brilliant minds. Today, in the SI Museum, you’ll get to experience the results of this yourselves.”

Ned’s excitement began to build (or build more? Ned was pretty sure his excitement meter was skewed today, overwhelmed by the awesomeness that was SI). 

“Once we get to the museum, you’ll have about an hour to explore on your own. I’ll be wandering around to answer any questions you may have, but I’ll give you a general overview now.” Josie continued. “The museum has multiple sections. There’s one on early SI weapon development, one on SI’s contributions to medical technology, one on the biological and chemical research we’ve participated in, and several that focus on different types of engineering. There is also a room that focuses exclusively on Tony Stark, where you can learn about what he personally has invented and developed.” (Ned knew where he was heading first!)

Abe called out when Josie paused for breath. “Is Tony Stark here right now? Any chance we might run into him?” 

Josie seemed to expect the question. “Mr. Stark has a lab in the tower which he uses frequently. He doesn’t have a precise schedule, per say, but Mr. Stark is here at least a few times a week. He is involved in projects across several departments, and he tries to make himself available to work through problems or answer questions for any of the scientists and researchers at Stark Industries.” (Of course Mr. Stark helped with all the projects - that’s how Peter got his real internship.) (Because it was real, and by the end of the day, everybody and Flash would finally acknowledge this.) (Ned couldn’t wait.) Ned bumped Peter and wiggled his eyebrows. Peter crossed his eyes in retaliation. “So to answer your question, it is not unheard of for a tour group to run into Tony Stark, though it is uncommon. However, he usually doesn’t have time for questions or pictures or the like. He’s a very busy man,” she grinned out at the students, anticipating their reaction. “Mr. Stark does have to spend quite a bit of time at the Avengers Compound, after all.”

The students burst into whispered conversations, and Ned could have sworn he saw Mr. Harrington do a little skip-step in excitement. (Ned didn’t blame him at all.) Their generation had pretty much grown up with the Avengers. (Ned had had two Avengers themed birthday parties.) (Peter had three.) Even with the confusing political stuff happening with the Sokovia Accords, they were still heroes. The reminder that meeting Tony Stark would also mean meeting Iron Man energized their eagerness to the next level. 

Josie laughed, enjoying the group’s excitement. “Which brings me to the last section of the museum - the Avengers room.” She had to speak louder to be heard over the eager voices. “SI has helped outfit the Avengers with numerous defensive and offensive tools over the years. This section of the museum focuses on those technologies,demonstrating how SI in particular has contributed to the development and success of the Avengers Initiative.” She grinned widely. “For some reason, this section of the museum tends to be a tour favorite. You can learn about Captain America’s iconic shield, the mechanical wings worn by the Falcon, the Iron Patriot armor, and so much more.” (Okay, now Ned knew where he was going first! The Tony Stark section could be second.)

“What about Spider-Man?” Of course it was Flash. (One of the world’s greatest ironies was Flash’s devotion to the web-slinging superhero.) (One of the world’s greatest tragedies was that only Ned and Peter could appreciate it.) 

The class quieted to hear the tour guide’s response. They looked up to the Avengers, sure, but Spider-Man was their true hero. (That’s Ned’s best friend!) He belonged to Queens, and all of Midtown stood behind him. (Behind Peter! Ned’s best friend!) The support was particularly strong with this group, as several of them had been in the elevator when Spider-Man had saved them. (THAT’S NED’S BEST FRIEND!!!) (Ned’s best friend was Spider-Man, and if he ever stopped being excited about that fact, someone should check him into the hospital immediately.)

Josie’s answer sounded rehearsed. “Spider-Man has no official affiliation with Stark Industries. SI did not contribute to the creation of Spider-Man’s suit, and there has been no confirmed contact between SI and the Queens vigilante.” She smiled sympathetically at their grumbled disappointment. “I know there’s a lot of speculation, people saying SI made his suit, but it isn’t true. So our Avengers portion of the museum does not have any information about Spider-Man.” Josie leaned forward, lowering her voice as if telling them a secret. “But between you and me, some of the scientists here are hardcore fans, and they are extremely impressed with the technology he’s incorporated into his suit. If Spider-Man ever showed up at SI, I’m pretty sure they’d offer him a job on the spot.” 

Ned bumped his shoulder into Peter, whose face was pink. Peter always got a little flushed and awkward when Spider-Man was being admired (and Ned enjoyed every minute of it). A few yards ahead, MJ glanced at them over her shoulder. (Ned was approximately 53.7% sure that MJ didn’t know that Peter was Spider-Man, but she definitely knew that something was going on.) 

As the entrance to the museum came into sight, Josie had one last thing to add. “SI is proud of its contributions to science and technology, and we want to make the learning experience fun. For that reason, every section of the museum has an interactive component. Your phones aren’t locked away yet, so take as many photos as you want! There’s some really fun backdrops and props to use scattered around. See if you can find them.” 

Josie halted the group outside the closed doors, and everyone exchanged excited glances. “Just remember to keep your vests on at all times, and to stay in the museum area.” She swiped her badge, and opened the doors when the light flashed green. “Go! Be free and have fun! I’ll come find you in an hour.”

The class scattered like a bomb had been dropped. (Was it okay to make jokes about weapons of mass destruction at SI, what with their history and Mr. Stark and everything? Ned would ask Peter later.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Our first special guest will appear in the next chapter. Any guesses who it will be?
> 
> I want to thank you all again for the amazing support. When I posted the first chapter, I had honestly hoped for at least 10 Kudos, and today I passed 150! You all have exceeded my wildest expectations! Please know that I appreciate every one of you, and you have made my days so much brighter.
> 
> Oh, and regarding my plan for updating: I don't have a plan. Sorry! I have no idea when the new chapter will come out, but I won't make you wait too long.
> 
> Ariel


	4. Ned Leeds and the First Avenger

So, Ned was slightly obsessed with the Avengers.

Ned’s superhero fixation had started early in life. His dad had read him Captain America comics as a toddler, and Ned had refused to take off his Batman costume for an entire week in Kindergarten. (His mom was almost definitely holding onto those pictures for his wedding.) It’s even possible that twelve year old Ned had spent an entire summer writing stories featuring Ned the Nerdy Ninja or Lego My Eggo Man or Leaping Leeds, but that was just speculation and cannot be proven. (Ned has a notebook buried deep in the back of his closet that no one else has ever opened, but that’s completely unrelated.) 

And Ned’s best friend was a superhero! Peter had, like, actual super strength and super healing and super reflexes and super senses and all sorts of other super spider powers. Spider-Man helped save the world (or at least the people of Queens) every night, and Ned was the Guy In The Chair who supported him every step of the way! Ned definitely, absolutely contributed to keeping the streets of New York safe, which kind of makes him a hero too. 

The point is, Ned was (at the very least) superhero adjacent, and thus it was completely unfair that he had never met an Avenger. 

It was about time for that to change.

\- - - - - - - - - -

Peter’s desperation to split off from the hoard of students bee-lining towards the Avengers room meant that Ned had had to adjust his itinerary, but that hadn’t dimmed his enthusiasm in the slightest. Ned had not passed out from pure excitement (Ned was very proud of himself, and MJ had even congratulated him on his achievement.), but there had been a couple of close calls over the past forty minutes, because the SI Museum was the most incredible place he had ever been.

As Ned, Peter, and MJ headed toward the Avengers exhibit (his classmates had finally moved on to the rest of the museum), Ned struggled to pick his favorite exhibit thus far. (When everything around you was the awesomest thing he’s ever seen, how in the world was he supposed to pick the most awesomest one!?) Three of the most interactive exhibits were vying for first place in his mind, and he attempted to rank them with difficulty.

The coolest part had definitely been attempting to defuse a virtual bomb in the old weapons section. He had been so, so close when the timer ran out, and the holographic explosion had been epic. (Bomb defusing, Ned had decided, was definitely a useful skill for a GITC to have. He would have to do some research when he got home.) (Wait, would that put him on a government watch list? Surely that was only for people looking to build bombs, not take them apart, and Ned had the self control to resist clicking on those websites.) (Because even if it would be really interesting, it wasn’t necessary for his ‘superhero’s best friend’ position, so he would not click those links.) (He could absolutely resist the urge.) (...yeah, Ned was definitely going to end up on a watch list.) Weapons had never really been Ned’s thing, but learning about the process SI had used to develop them had been way more interesting than he’d expected. 

But now that he was really thinking about it, the best part was without a doubt the medical section. Ned tended to favor the computer side of engineering over the biochemical or biomedical aspects (that was more Peter’s turf), but the prosthetics had been fascinating! They got to try on the leg braces and watch a computer simulation showing how the nervous system interacted with the schematics. Ned had also watched the video clips of veterans describing how much the new technology had helped them (and definitely didn’t tear up, shut up MJ). The prosthetic design had been incredibly detailed, and Ned had spent several minutes dreaming of the medical tech he could help develop in the future. Yeah, medical was definitely the best yet.

Oh, but the Tony Stark exhibition! There had been actual nanotech! Ned had refused to even blink, not willing to miss a moment of the display, as the teens input various configurations into the tablet and peered inside the glass box to watch as the particles replicated the design exactly. (Peter had made them form into the Death Star, and that’s why he’s Ned’s best friend.) And Ned had gotten to touch a real life Iron Man gauntlet! He also definitely has his new profile picture for all his social media, because his camera roll was now full of Iron Ned. Ned had made Peter take at least twenty pictures of him standing behind the Iron Man suit with his head peeking over the top, and he was beaming in every single one. (He had tried to do a dramatically serious pose, but his muscles refused to relax from a smile.) MJ had let him take a few photos of her with the suit, and she had the serious look down perfectly. (If a super villain had shown up just then, Ned was sure they would have surrendered based on MJ’s glare alone.) Despite Peter’s objections (“I’ve seen the real suit a dozen times, Ned. I even helped with some repairs that one time, remember?”) (Ned remembers. The high of that experience had carried them through a full week of lunch periods.), Ned even managed to get a few photos of Peter in the suit (He looked natural there, and it just seemed right somehow). Peter had treated it like no big deal (but Ned could tell that he was secretly gleeful to be Iron Peter), but to Ned, it was magical. 

Ned frantically weighed the three in his mind, but eventually one section won out. (Iron Ned: ‘nuff said.)

“Yeah,” Ned said aloud, finally answering Peter’s question. “Tony Stark’s exhibit is definitely my favorite.”

“Agreed,” Peter said. “It was really interesting seeing some of Mr. Stark’s earlier work. It’s so different from what he’s doing now.” Peter snickered. “Did you see that picture of him accepting that engineering award at MIT? He looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. I swear I could see the hem of his pajama pants sticking out of his suit legs. I will definitely be reminding him of that next time he gets on me about my messed up sleep schedule.” (Ned noticed Cindy - who had probably overheard the comments where she was reading a plaque nearby - glance at Peter speculatively.)

“Yay, Tony Stark,” MJ cheered sarcastically, as she stopped walking, her expression deadpan. “May we ever honor our capitalistic overlord and his mighty ego.” Ned huffed out a breath of laughter as Peter frowned. 

“He’s not like that, MJ,” Peter protested. “Mr. Stark is great, once you get to know him, I promise! He’s teaching me so much, and he really loves Ms. Potts, and he treats his robots like his children, and he’s literally a genius, and he’s only awful to people who actually deserve it. It’s not true what they say about him! He really does care about helping people, and his ego…” Peter trailed off as MJ raised her eyebrow. “Okay,” he admitted, “the ego part might be true.” Ned guffawed and MJ pursed her lips to hide (what Ned suspected was) a smile. 

Peter ducked his head and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. “He’s just…” Peter scuffed his foot against the carpet, then looked up, not quite meeting their eyes. “Mr. Stark’s done a lot for me. It’s not fair that people think he’s not a good guy.” Ned’s gaze flickered toward MJ, and he could see the moment she decided to let Peter off the hook. (Her expression didn’t change, but Ned could see the ‘awwwww’ in her eyes.) (She was SO crushing on his best friend.)

MJ nudged Peter’s shoulder, and he looked up at her. The edges of her mouth curled upwards in a slight smile, and Ned could see the tension leak from Peter’s body. Ned spoke up in support of his best friend. “They’ll figure it out eventually,” he comforted. “You just have a head start, because you’re Spi- ow!” Ned cut off suddenly at the sudden, sharp pain in his toes. He hopped awkwardly, clutching his left foot, as he glared at his friend. (Super strength super hurts, Peter, what was that for!?) Seeing Peter’s barely-disguised look of panic, Ned followed his eyes to the third member of their trio, and his own eyes widened in realization. Ned hastily started coughing to cover the abrupt break (prime deceptive technique: classics are the classics for a reason); he avoided MJ’s gaze as he excused himself. “Stubbed my toe, sorry about that.” He ignored his tall friend’s raised eyebrows (It was totally possible to stub your toe while standing still, what’s with the skepticism?). “As I was saying,” Ned cleared his throat and continued. “You have a head start, because you’re, uh, spying! Yeah, you see what he’s like when no one else is around! Which is like spying, so it definitely makes sense.” Ned nodded decisively. “That’s exactly what I was going to say.” 

He grinned beatifically at his friends. (Ned gave himself a mental pat on the back. He was so good at this covering up thing; Peter is so lucky to have him as his Guy In The Chair.) (Which apparently Peter had not realized yet, judging by the despair Ned could see on his face, but no worries. He’ll get there.)

The boys turned to MJ, but her expression gave nothing away (exactly as Ned expected - he had obviously covered for himself flawlessly). Several seconds of awkward silence followed, but MJ remained silent.

“So, uh,” Peter spoke hesitantly. “Avenger’s exhibit? We were going to check it out? So maybe we should do that. Now?” 

Before Ned could enthusiastically agree, MJ responded in the negative. “Nah, nothing I need to see there.” (Ned had many times heard her orate on why the Black Widow was the only Avenger that mattered.) MJ was already striding away. She mockingly saluted them as she split off, calling “Enjoy the Testosterone Team exhibit, nerds.”

Peter watched her until she disappeared around the corner, then swung to face Ned with a glare. Ned beamed at him in return. “Guess it’s just us,” Ned said to his friend. “I am so ready for this, aren’t you?”

Peter opened his mouth as if to respond, but instead closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. (He must have been really upset that MJ wasn’t joining them.) After a moment, he opened his eyes again and grinned. “Yeah,” Peter said, turning to cross the last few yards to the entrance to the exhibit. Ned followed with a skip in his step. (In his excitement, Ned was pretty sure he could have floated across the remaining distance if he’d wanted to.) “Let’s go.”

\- - - - - - - - - -

Ned would have thought that it would be a good thing (great, even!) to have the room empty except for the two of them, but being alone in the room meant that there was no barrier to break the wave of pure awesomeness that overwhelmed him as he stepped through the archway. 

“Woah,” the boys both breathed. 

Ned and Peter stood stock still, taking it all in. Their feet felt glued to the floor, unable to move - the same could not be said for their mouths.

“Oh my God, that’s a widow bite-”

“- wings! Falcon must have-”

“- like twelve dozen types of arrows-”

“-almost got hit once and Mr. Stark said-”

“-have you ever seen-”

“- actually I have no idea what that is but-”

“-on YouTube! Then she flipped the-”

“-wanted to see that for years-”

“-and then he was like bam! pow! and the robot thing-”

“-Captain America’s shield in the corner-”

Ned turned on Peter with such ferocity that Peter actually took a step back. “What-did-you-just-say?” Ned spat the words out so quickly that he was surprised Peter understood his question (must have been the super hearing) (cause Ned’s best friend is a superhero) (still SO awesome).

“Uh,” Peter seemed thrown by the sudden tonelessness of Ned’s voice. (There comes a point where even Ned can be maxed out by emotion, and his vocal cords did not know how to handle that.) “I was talking about Captain America’s shield?” Peter gestured over Ned’s shoulder. “I can see it in the far corner, if you want-”

Ned didn’t even wait for Peter to finish his sentence: he took off. Ned had never sprinted this quickly in his life (Coach Wilson would be so proud!), but it was worth being out of breath. Because there (right there!), right in front of him (right there!), less than two feet away (!!!), separated from Ned’s outstretched hand by only a thin layer of bulletproof glass (Peter would break that for him, right?) was The Actual Shield Of The Actual Captain America The First Avenger.

Ned’s fingers settled against the glass, smudging it (so definitely not a dream). “Peter,” he whispered. “It’s The Shield.”

His friend had easily followed him over (he wasn’t out of breath in the slightest - stupid super speed), and he nodded at Ned seriously. “Yeah, Ned. It is.”

“The Actual Shield.”

“Yes.”

“Of The Actual Captain America.” Peter sounded bemused. 

“Yep.”

“The First Avenger.”

“Uh-huh.” In the reflection on the glass, Ned could make out the grin Peter was trying to smother. 

Ned turned slowly, reaching out and placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder. He spoke quietly, not wanting to disrupt the sheer perfection of the moment. “Peter.” He looked into his friend’s eyes. “I am in the presence of The Actual Shield Of The Actual Captain America The First Avenger.” He sighed, “I can die happy now.”

Peter had the nerve to actually laugh at him! “I thought you couldn’t die today,” he retorted. “Something about ruining your life, losing your dream job, going to prison?”

Ned scowled at him. (His perfect moment had been broken, how rude.) “That was if I passed out, Peter,” he corrected. “If I died right now, I would not be in prison, so that obviously doesn’t make any sense. Some genius you are!” (Ha! That would show him!) 

Ned turned his back on his laughing friend and focused back on the display case. He stepped even closer, drawn to this beacon of truth and justice. (Ned spotted a label disclaiming that the object in question was only a replica. Fortunately, Ned had become selectively illiterate.)

Ned asked his friend, “When you held it, could you feel the pure goodness seeping into your very being?” (Ned would never get over the fact that his best friend had stolen The Actual Shield Of The Actual Captain America The First Avenger from The Actual Captain America The First Avenger. Peter had shown him a bit of the footage from the fight in Berlin, and his entrance was the most badass thing he had ever seen.)

Peter snorted and moved closer, peering over Ned’s shoulder. “I was more focused on the whole breaking-the-laws-of-physics thing, to be honest. Plus, the whole, you know- fighting thing.” He gestured vaguely and glanced at Ned. “You do remember that this guy is a war criminal, right?” Ned hushed him. “Also, sorry, Ned, looks like this isn’t the real one. There’s a label right there saying it’s just a replica. Something about limiting public access to vibranium.” (What d’ya know, Ned had become selectively deaf as well. How unfortunate.)

Ned continued to bask in the glory emanating from The Actual (not fake, definitely real, fight me) Shield Of The Actual Captain America The First Avenger. (Captain America may be some sort of fugitive now, but that didn’t change the fact that the hero had been the theme of Ned’s childhood bedroom.) (The pillow designed like The Shield was possibly still sitting on the corner of his bed, but at least he had replaced the matching comforter. It was Star Wars now - he had matured, after all.)

“Hey, I’m going to look over there.” Peter nodded at a display a few yards away. “I think there’s something about the helicarriers, and I haven’t had the chance to ask Mr. Stark about those yet.” Ned hummed absently as his friend walked away. (Peter was too devoted to Mr. Stark to act like he supported Captain America now, but Ned hadn’t forgotten who was on Peter’s Kindergarten lunch box.)

Ned (obviously) knew a lot about Captain America already, but he still eagerly perused the information posted around the glass case. (He was in the SI Museum in Stark Tower! There would always be something new to discover.) (If he was also fact checking some fanfiction he had read, no one really needed to know.) Absorbed in the description of the icy water’s effect on the vibranium shield, Ned didn’t hear a door being opened and closed just a few feet away. He didn’t even sense the presence of the new person in the room, too involved in the details explaining how The Actual Shield became Captain America’s chosen weapon. He was sufficiently distracted, so it was understandable that he jumped slightly, yanked from his daze, when Peter shouted out in surprise. 

“Mr. Rhodey! What are you doing here?”

\- - - - - - - - - -

Ned and Peter always spent lunchtime at Midtown in one of two ways: with MJ or without MJ. When MJ joined them, they talked about a little bit of everything, from Decathlon to Star Wars (Ned knew MJ secretly loved them too, even if she refused to admit it.). There tended to be large outbreaks of laughter, and voices were often raised as they enthusiastically debated whatever topic they had ended up on that day. (Water is wet, the chicken came first, and there is no argument that can change Ned’s mind on either of these issues.) Other times, MJ preferred to eat alone. She would choose a seat at the opposite end of the table, and her fork would occasionally miss her mouth when she couldn’t tear her eyes away from her book. (Ned had once seen her unknowingly pick up a pencil instead of her fork, and the look on her face when she bit down was a treasured memory.) On these days, Peter and Ned’s conversation usually revolved around two issues: Lego and Spider-Man. (And also more Star Wars. They really couldn’t help it.) MJ knew about the internship at SI, but this was their chance to whisper about Peter’s nightly adventures, both swinging around Queens and working in the lab with Mr. Stark. (Spider-Man was amazing, but Ned knew that Peter himself was too.)

It was on a without-MJ lunch day that Ned first learned about Mr. Rhodey.

Ned had yet to convince Peter to tell him what had happened the first time the two met. (All he knew was that it involved improperly mixed web fluid, a rolling chair, three new pairs of pants, and a whole lot of embarrassment on Peter’s end.) Peter liked Mr. Rhodey. He always laughed when he described the man’s interactions with Mr. Stark, and there was a gleam in his eye when he confided about the prank they had pulled together. 

Peter had only gotten to meet Mr. Rhodey a handful of times, but Mr. Stark talked about him a lot (and apparently used a bunch of ridiculous pet names, which Ned found hilarious). Mr. Rhodey had been Mr. Stark’s roommate in college, and they were still best friends. He didn’t get to visit very often, because he worked pretty high up in the military, but Mr. Stark annoyed him from a distance as much as possible. According to Ms. Potts, Mr. Rhodey (she called him Jim?) was one of the few people who could help her wrangle Mr. Stark, and he was successful nine out of ten times. (The other one out of ten, she had told Peter exasperatedly, he was the instigator of whatever chaos the two men created.) (Also, PETER HAD MET PEPPER POTTS!!!) (MJ would be even more jealous than Ned was, if she ever found out.)

Ned had decided that Mr. Rhodey was the coolest non-superhero Peter had met yet, and he had hoped to get to meet him one day (when Peter finally becomes an Avenger and Ned is showered with praise for his incredible GITC) (and after meeting all of the Avengers first, of course- he knew his priorities), but he definitely had not expected to run into him during a field trip (even one to Stark Industries!!!).

\- - - - - - - - - -

“Mr. Rhodey! What are you doing here?” Ned’s head whipped around at Peter’s cry. A tall Black man was striding across the room, but he halted suddenly, looking surprised.

“Peter?” the man questioned. He glanced at his watch. “It’s mid-morning on a Thursday. Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” He raised his eyebrows at Ned’s friend.

Ned pulled himself away from the display and hurried over to where Mr. Rhodey had joined Peter, who was quickly explaining about their field trip. “You’re Mr. Rhodey!” Ned exclaimed. (He couldn’t believe he was finally meeting the man behind the stories! Which reminded him:) “I need you to tell me about when you first met Peter. It’s important. For reasons.” Ned nodded decisively, trying to look convincing. “Life and death ones.” 

“Ned!” Peter stopped him. (Ned had stopped a few feet away, so his toes were safe from stomping.) He turned back to the other man. “He’s just kidding, Mr. Rhodey. No need to talk about that. He’s just…” He was interrupted by the man’s chuckles. 

“You must be Ned,” Mr. Rhodey said. “Peter’s told me a lot about you.” (Peter was Ned’s best friend, and he could stomp on Ned’s toes as much as he wanted as long as he kept talking about Ned to cool people.) 

“Anyway, Mr. Rhodey,” Peter cut in over Ned’s spluttering. “We’re just on a field trip. But I didn’t expect to see you here! I didn’t even know you were in town!” 

“It’s just a quick day trip,” Mr. Rhodey explained. “But I try to stop by here whenever I can.”

“Why?” Peter questioned in confusion. “You don’t work for SI, do you? I’m pretty sure I’ve heard Mr. Stark complain about that a few times. “

“No, still not letting Tony be my boss.” Mr. Rhodey gestured behind him. (His next sentence changed Ned’s life.) “Tony likes to change the name in my display, so I have to come by and fix it every time I’m in the city.”

Ned’s brain freeze-framed. The world stopped spinning, and silence descended on the universe. 

“Y-your display?” Peter was as wide-eyed as Ned felt. 

“Yeah,” Mr. Rhodey rolled his eyes, completely casual. (Ned couldn’t understand how he didn’t feel the world shifting on its axis.) “He switches ‘Iron Patriot’ to ‘War Machine’ at every opportunity. He’s been doing it for years.” 

There were several seconds of complete silence. (Ned was sure Peter could hear his heart beating out of his chest.) Ned tried to speak, but all that came out was a small squeak. Peter fared only slightly better. “You,” Peter cleared his throat, and the next words came out in a slightly less high pitch. “You’re Iron Patriot?”

Mr. Rhodey finally seemed to notice the boys’ slack jawed expressions. He looked between them in confusion. “Yes? Peter, did you really not know that?”

Peter shook his head mutely, and Ned finally gathered the courage to speak up. “You’re Iron Patriot! You’re-you’re an Avenger!” Ned was sure his awe infused the word. Ned suddenly stepped forward and smacked Peter on the shoulder. “Peter! You didn’t tell me that you’d met another Avenger! You didn’t tell me that Mr. Rhodey was Colonel James Rhodes!” 

Peter spluttered, hand raising to cover his shoulder as if Ned’s hit had actually hurt him (yeah right, Spider-Man). “I didn’t know!” He looked up at Mr. Rhodey (Iron Patriot! The Avenger!) “Mr. Stark calls you Platypus! He said you’re his Honey Bear and Sour Patch and-and…” Peter trailed off, then stared at the bemused man pleadingly. “How was I supposed to know you were the Iron Patriot!?” 

The Avenger (!!!) standing in front of Ned (!!!) looked between Peter and Ned, his lip twitching. Then a grin broke across his face, and he chuckled, shaking his head. (Ned had made an Avenger laugh! A real one, not just Spider-Man.) (Sorry Peter, but facts are facts.) (Spider-Man is still Ned’s favorite though.) 

“Mr. Rhodey Iron Patriot Avenger Sir,” Ned got out (he was very proud of himself for not stuttering), loud enough to be heard over the laughter. “Can I take a picture with you? It’s just, you’re the first Avenger I’ve actually met, aside from Spider-Man of course, but he doesn’t really count.” (“Hey!” Peter interjected, but Ned ignored him.) His words started to slip out faster and faster. “And it’s on my Bucket List, to meet all the Avengers, and I didn’t know you were one, but I’ve wanted to meet you for ages anyway, ever since Peter told me about the thing with the waffles and silly string, so I knew you were super awesome already, but I had no idea you were a superhero too! So is it okay if Peter takes a picture of you and me together? Flash will die when he sees it and he’ll be so jealous and it might be even better than my Iron Ned photo to use as a profile picture and it’d be so awesome, please?” Ned finally ran out of breath and stood staring at the hero, panting slightly.

Mr. Rhodey Iron Patriot was grinning, and he nodded slightly. “Sure, of course.” 

Ned squealed excitedly as he shoved his phone at Peter and hurried to the Avenger’s side. (Ned was TOUCHING AN AVENGER!!!!!) Peter, still looking a little wide-eyed in surprise, dutifully snapped several photos of his best friend.

As Peter lowered the phone, Rhodey’s grin turned mischievous. “So,” he offered, leaning forward and lowering his voice conspiratorially, “Want to help me change the name in the Iron Man display to Tony Stank?”

Ned beamed. (Best. Field trip. Ever!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I know I said that I didn't have a posting schedule, but I didn't actually mean to make you wait nearly six months, so...oops? Hope it was worth the wait! 
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated, but please be kind!
> 
> Ariel


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